1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a home-bar door opening/closing device for a refrigerator for selectively opening and closing a home-bar provided in the refrigerator.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 1 shows an external front appearance of a general side-by-side refrigerator. FIG. 2 shows a home-bar door opening/closing device according to a prior art.
As shown in the figures, a freezing chamber and a refrigerating chamber are formed side by side in a main body 11 of the side-by-side refrigerator, respectively. The freezing and refrigerating chambers are selectively opened and closed by freezing and refrigerating chamber doors 13 and 15 which are pivotably installed at both side ends of a front surface of the main body 11, respectively.
In general, a dispenser 17 for discharging ice or water to the outside is provided on a front surface of the freezing chamber door 13. An opening 19 is formed on a front surface of the refrigerating chamber door 15, while a storage space 21 is formed on a rear surface of the refrigerating chamber door 15 at a position corresponding to the opening 19. The storage space 21, in which a home-bar is formed and drinking water or the like is accommodated, is opened and closed by a home-bar door 23.
The home-bar door 23 is installed in the opening 19 of the refrigerating chamber door 15 so that an upper end of the home-bar door 23 vertically rotates about hinges 25. A handle portion 27 which a user holds by hand to rotate the home-bar door 23 is provided at an upper end of a front surface of the home-bar door 23. Reference numeral 29 designates a gasket 29 for preventing leakage of cold air.
Mounting grooves 19a are formed to vertically extend in both inner side surfaces of the opening 19. Each of the mounting grooves 19a is partially covered with a bracket 31. A guide slot 32 is formed in the bracket 31 to extend lengthwise, so that the mounting groove 19a is exposed to the outside. Each guide boss 33 is movably installed in the mounting groove 19a corresponding to the guide slot 32.
The guide boss 33 is connected to an end of a link 35, which will be described below, by a screw Sa penetrating the guide slot 32. Since the width of the guide boss 33 is larger than that of the guide slot 32, the guide boss 33 is not inadvertently removed to the outside although it freely moves within the mounting groove 19a. 
The links 35, to which one ends of the guide bosses 33 are connected, serve to support the home-bar door 23 in a state where the home-bar door 23 rotates to open the storage space 21. The other ends of the respective links 35 are rotatably connected to rotating shafts 36, each of which is provided in a side surface of the home-bar door 23, by screws Sb.
In such a configuration, while the home-bar door 23 covers the storage space 21, an edge of a rear surface of the home-bar door 23 is in close contact with the gasket 29. The one ends of the links 35 are positioned at upper portions of the guide slots 32, and the links 35 are substantially parallel with the guide slots 32.
In order to open the home-bar door 23, a locking unit keeping the home-bar door 23 closed is released. Then, the storage space 21 is opened by rotating the home-bar door 23 counterclockwise with respect to the figure.
The home-bar door 23 is caused to rotate counterclockwise with respect to the figure by pulling the handle portion 27 held by hand to the front of the refrigerator to the extent of a certain inclination with respect to the front surface of the door 15 from the state where the home-bar door 23 covers the storage space 21. Then, after the home-bar door 23 reaches the certain inclination, the home-bar door 23 rotates counterclockwise due to its self weight. Here, a rotational speed of the home-bar door 23 increases.
In the meantime, due to the rotation of the home-bar door 23, the guide bosses 33 connected to the one ends of the links 35 move downwardly from the upper ends of the guide slots 32. Then, the other ends of the links 35 rotate about the rotating shafts 36 with respect to the home-bar door 23. If the one ends of the links 35 continue to move downwardly and are then positioned at lower ends of the guide slots 32, the home-bar door 23 stops rotating. In the state where the storage space 21 is completely opened as described above, it is preferred that the home-bar door 23 be in horizontal state.
However, the home-bar door opening/closing device according to the prior art so constructed has the following problems.
In the prior art, in the process of opening the storage space 21, the rotational speed of the home-bar door 23 increases due to its self weight after the home-bar door 23 rotates in the certain range. Therefore, there is a disadvantage in that noise occurs since the guide bosses 33 bump against the lower ends of the guide slots 32 or a lower end of the home-bar door 23 bumps against a portion of the door 15 while the home-bar door 23 rapidly rotates.
In addition, due to an impact occurring while the guide bosses 33 bumps against the lower ends of the guide slots 32 or the lower end of the home-bar door 23 bumps against the portion of the door 15, the guide slots 32 and guide bosses 33 or the door 15 and home-bar door 23 can be broken.